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Thursday, May 19, 2016

After Dark Series Review of His Wicked Games by Ember Casey

I have added After Dark Reviews to my blog as a way of notifying you of a review of a book with Adult themes and scenes. From now on I will keep my reviews of all books I read that have explicit scenes in them for late night posts for those of you who prefer to avoid them or easy to find for those of you who seek them out ;)

I have been trying to figure out a way to share all these books I read with you but still include other non-review posts on the blog. One method I have come up with was to share the reviews for an entire series (or pair) of books in one post. I will do my absolute best to keep spoilers out of these posts in case you plan to read the books, but there is a slight chance that even the synopsis of a book can give away the result of the previous book. So if you don't want to know anything at all about the later books in a series that might giveaway something in the first book STOP READING NOW!

Synopsis:"Trapped with a billionaire in his mysterious mansion... Can she beat him at his own game?

Lily Frazer would do anything to save the Frazer Center for the Arts--even take on the infamous billionaire Calder Cunningham. When Lily breaks onto the Cunningham estate, she only wants to find and reason with Calder. (All right, all right, she wants to punch him in the face, too, but that's Plan B.) As it turns out, the arrogant billionaire is willing to give her the money he promised, but there's a catch: she must win it from him.

Lily isn't about to give up the money without a fight (or let some haughty bastard seduce her), but she quickly discovers that there might be more to the brooding Calder than she initially perceived. As their games of cat and mouse become increasingly intense, she suddenly finds herself confused by her own emotions. Can she deny her attraction long enough to win the money she needs?"

My Review: So it is going to be very hard to review this book without giving any spoilers away. I think this was recommended to me quite sometime ago by my friend Jessica from Thoughts at One in the Morning, but I just kept putting it off, now I wish I hadn't. It was so deliciously good that I had to read all the books immediately! This book was a perfect example of building up that tension (again and again). In my opinion the heat was off the charts. But you know what, it wasn't just about the steam, this book also has some very interesting characters and a storyline that is taking a little bit of a different twist on the billionaire romance stories. I do however feel like I need to make some renovations to my house now.

My Rating: Boy what a way to kick off this short series! I was instantly engrossed in this book and boy the tension and steam were off the charts! I give it a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!

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Synopsis:"After their passionate weekend at the Cunningham estate, Lily and Calder have decided to take their relationship to the next level. But love in the real world isn't all fun and games--especially when it becomes clear that Calder still harbors his share of secrets.

When Calder suddenly suggests they slow things down, Lily knows something is seriously wrong--and she's not afraid to pull out the big guns. She makes Calder a proposal he can't refuse: an ongoing match of Truth or Dare that she hopes will bring them closer together.

But as the contest increases in intensity, so do the stakes, and suddenly Lily and Calder have to face the question they've both been avoiding: what sort of relationship do they have when they strip away all the games?

My Review: This was a great continuation of the first book. It wasn't quite as good but it was still very, very good. The story and the characters really developed a lot throughout this book. There is still a lot of great tension build up and steam but the plot line definitely takes front seat. I really like the direction Casey took the story, instead of your somewhat over done billionaire romance book it has a much different take. I like that some of the obstacles are rather difficult for the characters, while things are definitely easier that then would be in real life. Another great book and I have to read the next one immediately.

My Rating: This was another great book, however it wasn't as fantastic as the first book. I feel like the back and forth of the emotions were a little contrived but still a very enjoyable read. I give it a rating of Four Paws.

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Synopsis:"One night. One game. One wicked experience they'll never forget...

It's Lily and Calder's first night in their new apartment--and Calder proposes a romantic showdown that's certain to leave both of them breathless. In a game like this, things are sure to get intense--but neither of them can be prepared for the surprises that await them as their ultimate game unfolds."

My Review: Another great book, but I am really sad to say goodbye to these characters. I love the continued games that Lily and Calder play. I don't think the build up was quite as good in this one, maybe because it is a short novella and more of a transition to the next series. There was a nice twist that I wasn't exactly expecting but it is a great way to introduce new characters and a new series/continuation. I however don't think that I will continue with those next books simply because I really loved these three books so much that I don't want to spoil the experience with characters I don't think I will like as much.

My Rating: A little bit of what I loved about Calder and Lily was lost in this book due to the crunch of time. It was a nice introduction to a branch off series though. I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.

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Series Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this series of books and consumed them in record time. I wish that the series was longer because I really enjoyed the games and the way Lily and Calder played off each other. There was a fantastic buildup of tension that I haven't found in a lot of books and even after the characters let off some steam, the tension is still there. I really can't help but give this series a good solid Four Paw Rating!﻿